Field Agents
by Ethereal Raine
Summary: Joanna is irked when Carrington pairs her with Jonathan for a top secret mission. At first, anyway. A short Chapter 4 IS UP!
1. Chapter One

Field Agents  
  
By: Ethereal Raine  
  
Summary: Joanna is irked when Carrington pairs her with Jonathan for a top- secret mission. At first, anyway.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for some cursing and violence.  
  
Disclaimer: Perfect Dark is the property of Rare, not me, and all affiliates and associates thereof. Joanna Dark, Jonathan, Daniel Carrington, and Grimshaw all belong to them, but the rest of the characters are mine!  
  
"So, that's what it's like to be in computers. You always have to be on your guard, and you may not have dozens of security officers shooting at you with automatics, but if you're discovered hacking around at the Pentagon or--" Grimshaw's rant stopped suddenly when he realized Joanna was paying no attention. "Agent Dark! I was speaking to you!" Grimshaw was a good-natured man, so there was little anger in his voice. But it did get Joanna's attention and her head snapped up as said attention was grabbed.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, Grimshaw...I'm sorry. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately..." she only half lied. Truth be told, Daniel had a habit of overworking her. The missions that made her famous had also given her nightmares and a long-since-passed migraine that, at the time it had plagued her, she had thought would last the rest of her life.  
  
The top computer operator at CI gave her a compassionate smile and a pat on the back. "Lord knows you work enough for a dozen agents! Why don't you ask Mr. Carrington for some time off?"  
  
Joanna remained silent for a moment, thinking. "I suppose that would be a good idea...and I'm sure Daniel would understand. He knows I love the job...I suppose he's just trying to keep me busy. You know what? I'll head into his office right now."  
  
"That's the sprit!" Grimshaw's voice lightened, and he sounded as if he were cheering for his favorite rugby team. If the man watched rugby. Joanna almost expected a 'go get'em, tiger', and was thankful when she didn't get it.  
  
Carrington's office was only a couple of doors down, so she didn't have much time to think about backing out on the decision. When she reached the door, however, it opened for her. Daniel was standing on the other side, and at the sight of her, almost had a massive coronary.  
  
"Jo! Don't scare me like that!" He exclaimed, taking a moment to breathe. After collecting his composure, and after Joanna's good work of hiding her grin, he spoke, "I was just going to retrieve you," he motioned for her to come in, and after stepping to his right her eyes came in contact with Jonathan, an agent whom she had shared a few missions with. ~A few too many,~ she thought to herself.  
  
"Hey, Jo," Jonathan remarked casually. "Have a seat." Joanna made her way over to a chair next to the experienced agent and kept her eyes on Carrington the entire time. "So, Daniel...what did you want me for?"  
  
Daniel stood at the head of the long desk, turning off the lights and indicating the 3-D map of Ozmarque, a company known for its work in environmental conservation and improvement technology. The elderly man explained that the organization was believed to be serving as a front for a cartel shipping Maian and Human technology illegally to alien races that lacked brains (figuratively), but made up for it in wealth.  
  
"Jonathan has already infiltrated the front, and we need you to go in and gather some information about the specifics of the operation. Jonathan can get you in and out, but it is imperative that he not be discovered."  
  
Joanna nodded, "Understood..." she spoke in acknowledgement, trying to hide the fact that she was displeased. She knew immediately that she'd have to listen to Jonathan's cracks about her having a chronic itchy trigger finger and other such nonsense. He could really be a pain!  
  
"That is all," Carrington concluded. "You'll be leaving at 21:00 hours, and your briefing is at 20:00. As always, I'm sure you'll make the Institute proud, Joanna."  
  
Joanna offered a smile, "Thanks, Daniel. I'll be seeing you in a few hours." She stood up from her chair and turned to leave. As she exited the door, however, Jonathan stopped her.  
  
"It'll be a pleasure working with you again, Agent Dark," he smiled, and she thought he actually seemed sincere. She was waiting for a sarcastic retort to reveal itself from the facade of his compliment, but he simply continued walking.  
  
Joanna groaned inwardly as she walked back toward her own office. She wanted time off...and this is what she got. Infiltrate an operation whose cover was flowers and trees.  
  
In a few hours.  
  
With Jonathan.  
  
This was gonna be a long mission.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think? Please feel free to review it all you want! The more reviews I get, the more quickly I will post additional chapters. Feedback lets me know that people out there would enjoy reading more! 


	2. Chapter Two

Field Agents  
  
By: Ethereal Raine  
  
Summary: Joanna is irked when Carrington pairs her with Jonathan for a top- secret mission. At first, anyway.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for some cursing and violence.  
  
Disclaimer: Perfect Dark is the property of Rare, not me, and all affiliates and associates thereof. Joanna Dark, Jonathan, Daniel Carrington, and Grimshaw all belong to them, but the rest of the characters are mine!  
  
Joanna already felt talked to death when the briefing got out a little earlier than expected. She was in the middle of packing up her things when a fellow agent named Susan came up on her and gave her a wish of good luck.  
  
"Ya workin' with Jonathan?" She asked, a slight southern US accent lacing her words. Joanna nodded an almost hesitant yes, and the blonde laughed. "I don't know how you put up with him. He can get such a superiority complex. I swear, I just think he's jealous since you broke all his records." That got a grin from Joanna and she laughed. "I'm sure you're right. When he's making some crack about the way I do things, I'll have to remind him of that." Susan smiled and ushered her fellow agent away. "You'd better be going before you ruin your chance of getting some time off. Joanna looked at her oddly for a moment, and then smiled. Grimshaw had a big mouth. I'm going, I'm going," she repeated before running off to her transport.  
  
A half hour later, Joanna had been dropped on a vacant balcony running along some executive offices at the Ozmarque Corporation. The operation specifics were to photograph some sensitive documents pertaining to the cover-up of illegal activities within the business. Jonathan had specifically left the 5th window on the balcony open for her. She knew she could have just shot out the window, but getting discovered now at CI's first on-site reconnaissance would tighten up security so much that even getting a picture of a plastic ficus would be harder than infiltrating Area 51. And that was pretty tough.  
  
Joanna mentally counted until she reached five, and leaned downward to grab the latch of the window. Thankfully, it slid up, and she felt compelled to give Jonathan a psychic thank you, even though he wouldn't hear it. She slipped inside quietly and closed the window behind her. The office was shadowed, lit only from the light outside. She knew from the schematics Jonathan provided her that the documents were contained in a secured room in the next hall. He was to meet her there at 22:00 to let her in. He said that security wasn't usually patrolling this section of the building at that hour, but there were permanently stationed security officers within the room that she would have to take care of. She glanced at the clock on the desk, and it read 9:52 p.m. She had a few minutes to lay low before heading out of the office, so she looked around. Various pictures of what she guessed to be family members garnered the room, and a few Cuban cigars lay stationary on the right hand side of the oversized desk. The computer lay in standby mode, and a (well, what do you know?) plastic ficus had its own home in the northwest corner of the room. Joanna pressed her frame against the wall closest to the door, keeping herself hidden from any security officers who would possibly peek in. Jonathan had already informed her that there were no security cameras in this office, and it was then that Joanna caught site of a leather couch. The kind of guy who liked to sleep a bit on the job, she supposed, and didn't want to be caught by security cameras. She chuckled, noticing a pair of man's sneakers next to the brandy-colored piece of furniture.  
  
Agent Dark quickly glanced back to the clock and saw that she had 3 minutes until she had to be at the door marked in red on the schematics. She inched up toward the office door and peeked out the small glass pane. She looked to either side, seeing the hall clear, and opened the door very slowly, Falcon 2 (complete with silencer) preceding her into the hallway. She kept her back to the wall and her ears open for any sound of approaching security guards. After a few moments of hearing nothing, she supposed Jonathan hadnâEt been wrong when he said there was no security here at this time of night. She made sure to keep an eagle eye out for the cameras, and ducked past the 3 she encountered with the finesse of even the most seasoned of agents.  
  
At precisely 22:00 hours, Joanna came upon a door that was marked "Level 3 Clearance Personnel ONLY". Standing directly to the left of the door was Jonathan. He looked around briefly to make sure they weren't seen, and handed her a key card. "Good luck, Joanna," he whispered. "Be stealthy about this one. I know how you enjoy likening yourself to Rambo sometimes," he grinned.  
  
Joanna rolled her eyes, knowing that she wouldn't be free of this evening without a comment from him. "If I do get into it, I'll be sure to trounce some more of your records, Jonathan," she retorted proudly. But he simply shook his head, grinning even more as he turned around and walked away from her as if they had never known each other. God, that man infuriated her! But she forced herself to put her mind back to the task at hand, swiping the key card into the slot. A green light blinked and the door unlocked. She pushed it open quietly, and waited just a few moments before bursting in. Sure enough, there were two guards sitting beside a filing cabinet, a door next to it leading further into the complex. At the sight of her, they immediately stood and turned their guns on the female agent, one of them leaning down quickly to press an alarm.  
  
"Not tonight!" She shot him first, firing three rounds into his chest. The other guard, quicker than his partner, began shooting with his Dragon, spraying bullets on all sides of Joanna Dark. She escaped most of the gunfire, but a few rounds bounced off her shield, reducing its potency. She sidestepped the guard and gave him a little smirk before firing five rounds, hitting him with four and dropping him quickly. She shook her head, mentally chastising the company. This was much too easy.  
  
She quickly made her way to the filing cabinet and used the same keycard to open it. It clicked open and she slid it ajar. With her Camspy, she snapped several pictures of the documents.  
  
She only got 3 pictures before the alarms began to blare. "What..?!" She looked around quickly, and spotted a very small camera embedded into the corner of the ceiling. "Damn!" She cursed, shooting out the camera and dashing to the door, running quickly for cover. She needed to get out before they locked down the building. "Grimshaw, send the transport around!" She whispered loudly into the microphone grazing her lips. "Now!"  
  
Grimshaw's voice came only seconds later, "Right away, Joanna, get to the window immediately!"  
  
Joanna picked up the sound of nearly dozens of footsteps behind her and took off toward the office she had come from. She soon heard warning shots from behind her and several guards yelling for her to stop or that they'd shoot her. She turned, still running on her heels, and fired her new Dragon at the company of guards. "How about I shoot?!" Bullets assailed her when she opened fire, and she felt her shield strength sapping away. She turned back around once the last man dropped to his knees, and her hand found the doorknob of the office she had exited only minutes before. She opened it quickly and stepped inside, running toward the window and yanking it open so hard she almost broke the glass.  
  
Suddenly, floodlights flashed bright in the room and guards swarmed in through the door. "Bloody hell," she whispered to herself, tossing the Camspy out on the ledge and turning around. Each guard had their gun pointed straight at her, and she wasn't exaggerating when she counted at least two dozen. There was no way she could get out of this one. She raised her arms in surrender, and six of the guards jumped in to restrain her. As she was led away, cursing under her breath, she hoped the transport would pick up the Camspy and be able to continue the operation. And get her out of here.  
  
As she was pushed harshly down the corridors, she knew Jonathan would never let her forget this one.  
  
If she survived.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think? Please feel free to review it all you want! The more reviews I get, the more quickly I will post additional chapters. Feedback lets me know that people out there would enjoy reading more! 


	3. Chapter Three

Field Agents  
  
By: Ethereal Raine  
  
Summary: Joanna is irked when Carrington pairs her with Jonathan for a top- secret mission. At first, anyway.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for some cursing and violence.  
  
Disclaimer: Perfect Dark is the property of Rare, not me, and all affiliates and associates thereof. Joanna Dark, Jonathan, Daniel Carrington, and Grimshaw all belong to them, but the rest of the characters are mine!  
  
Daniel Carrington paced his office, his brow knit and half a cup of coffee (his fifth in the past hour) sitting on his desk. He had been notified just an hour and a half ago that their star agent, Joanna Dark, had been met with more resistance than expected and hadn't been at the transport pick-up point after she had called for an emergency recover. They had found the Camspy, but the accompanying agent was nowhere in sight. Jonathan had already been notified, and only fifteen minutes earlier reported that she had been detained by security. Unfortunately, he had no idea where they had taken her, but he assured Carrington that he would find out. The Institute leader had noted the worry and concern in the seasoned agent's voice, and he hoped for everyone's sake that Joanna would be brought back home safe and sound. As he passed by his desk again, he swiped up his cup of coffee, taking a swig as if it were hard liquor. It was all up to Jonathan now. There was no way anyone else was going to get into Ozmarque.  
  
***  
  
Joanna had admitted to herself long ago that she had a control complex. Carrington Institute's resident psychoanalyst had helped her with that. So being bound to a chair stood as an adversary to her self-control. She again struggled in vain against the restraints and she could see the nearest guard smirk at her for the umpteenth time in the past hour. She studied his brown eyes and angular features, wondering what they would look like after she broke his nose. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, opening them again just a few moments later when she heard someone enter the room. She looked up and immediately recognized the figure from television commercials she had seen dozens of times: Edward McTabbert, fifty-year-old businessman with 2.3 children and an adoring wife. She wondered how much of his money went into the pearly white caps on his teeth as he smiled at her charismatically.  
  
"So, young lady...you thought it convenient to sneak into my establishment and put me in a position to hire about fifteen more security guards. Call me old-fashioned, but," he leaned over the brunette agent, his gray hair even more noticeable in the harsh light, "I don't particularly appreciate that."  
  
Joanne quirked a brow and had to keep herself from chuckling at his display. Instead of making a smart remark, she decided her best course of action would be to be as appeasing as possible. It wasn't a very good day to die...or get maimed or mutilated. She opened her mouth to speak, but Edward cut her off. "You think I don't know who you are? I had my research team look up some old records from my old friend Cassandra's DataDyne office." Joanna looked a little surprised, but her life was like a movie, anyway. There had to be a few plot twists. He seemed upset at the lack of reaction, but continued anyway. "Joanna Dark, highly decorated and revered, etcetera, etcetera. Revered," he repeated sarcastically. "I thought Daniel might have thought up some smarter or at least more effective ways to infiltrate my operation than sending a wet-behind-the- ears newbie." Yeah, that did it. Calling her a newbie? That really pissed Joanna off. After saving the world from intergalactic dominance by an alien race he had the nerve to call her a newbie? Oh, he was gonna get an ass kicking after she figured out how to get out of this. However, she had learned to (somewhat) keep her composure and did so with (almost) the ease of a veteran agent. "I suppose my being a 'newbie,' she spit out the word with malice, "doesn't say much for your security and your organization, does it?" He merely grinned further at her statement, enjoying that he had finally gotten a rise out of her. Just as she was about to do something rash, both she and Edward were startled by a knock on the door. He turned, nodding at the nearest guard, the young man responding by opening the door. Joanna held her breath as the door opened, trying to hide her look of relief as she saw the familiar figure of Jonathan on the other side. The veteran agent saluted Edward and held an important looking file to him. Edward snatched it away and dismissed him. Jonathan didn't look toward Joanna at all, choosing instead to slip out of the door as quickly as possible in order to avoid suspicion. Edward's tired, circled blue eyes surveyed the papers inside the file before returning his gaze to Joanna. "You're lucky I like that fire in you, Ms. Dark. You'll stay here for now. I know Carrington will come to your aid soon enough. And don't worry; we'll certainly be ready for him. Goodnight," he smirked, turning and walking out the door. The guards stood loyally by, keeping watch over Ozmarque's prisoner. Joanna craned her neck, trying to look as if she were stretching, but really trying to catch a little of what the documents said. It looked like a personnel report, she thought. But she couldn't see anything else besides. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking around the room. For once, she had no ideas. She was dependent on Daniel to come to her aid for now.and she hated it.  
  
***  
  
Edward retired to his apartment, located on the top floor of the office building. He poured himself a shot of tequila, sitting down on his overstuffed black couch, tipping it back and haphazardly slamming it down on the coffee table. There was no way Daniel Carrington was going to get in his way again. He knew the old Institute leader inside and out, had analyzed his methods, kept watch on his activities. His own agents within the Ozmarque complex had reported to him when he was speaking with Joanna, and it seemed Daniel had played the card he expected. They had brought him the records on one of his low-level security officers, Mr. Geoffrey Blake, a man who had been in his employ for only a few months. Edward laughed inwardly as he thought about it. Carrington must have been running out of good agents to send in someone Edward had seen on many a mission before. He had his spies.  
  
Jonathan was now his card to play.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think? Please feel free to review it all you want! The more reviews I get, the more quickly I will post additional chapters. Feedback lets me know that people out there would enjoy reading more! 


	4. Chapter Four

Field Agents  
  
By: Ethereal Raine  
  
Summary: Joanna is irked when Carrington pairs her with Jonathan for a top- secret mission. At first, anyway.  
  
Rating: PG-13 for some cursing and violence.  
  
Disclaimer: Perfect Dark is the property of Rare, not me, and all affiliates and associates thereof. Joanna Dark, Jonathan, Daniel Carrington, and Grimshaw all belong to them, but the rest of the characters are mine!  
  
((The Chapter is a little bit short (!), so I may decide to combine it with Chapter 3 sometime in the future.))  
  
Jonathan's face appeared over the closed circuit monitor in Daniel's office, his forehead lined with exhaustion and frustration. "She's all right. Contained, but not hurt. I, however, am surprised that she did not get herself shot."  
  
Daniel pursed his lips, knowing well enough that Joanna and Jonathan's personal styles.well, differed. Extensively. Jonathan was always his undercover, while Joanna's forte was running in, blazing her own path, and running back out again. Usually, it worked well, but this time he feared that he had underestimated his opponent. Edward knew more about the Institute than any other adversary he had faced. Carrington had even been worried about Jonathan when he first placed him behind enemy lines, but it seemed as if the young man was doing perfectly fine. "Grimshaw is working on a way to short out their computer and electrical systems, give you a way in to where they're keeping her." His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he glanced at the glossy photographs next to him. "If your identity is discovered, get out with her. Photographs are enough for now, I don't want to compromise my agents' lives anymore than I must."  
  
Jonathan nodded, taking a short glance over his shoulder. "Affirmative. Come over the line again when you know the time. I'll be ready." He shut off his communicator, the screen fading into black, edged by bits of gray static. Daniel took in another breath, his hand running over the pile of photographs absently.  
  
***  
  
Joanna drifted back into consciousness, having fallen asleep for a good twenty minutes. Her head lolled sideways as she came back into reality. While asleep, she had been moved to a different room. While she was the prisoner of this man that she was continually learning to hate more and more, she had to admit that he did have nice standards of accommodation. The room wasn't five-star hotel by any means, but at least she found herself on a bed that was somewhat comfortable. There was a small washroom on the east side of the room, and.more plastic plants. She hated plastic plants, but she figured she would count the blessings given to her in the form of the bed, the washroom, and currently being alive and unharmed. The latter two were always a plus. Just as she swung her feet around to stand, she heard a crackling sound as a flat screen above the barred door came to life.  
  
"I hope your rest was comfortable, Ms. Dark." McTabbert. That tone.how she hated that sarcastic, superior tone! Getting to her feet, however, she decided to be as congenial as possible without making herself sick.  
  
"Yes, it was, Mr. McTabbert, but I would quite appreciate being released from this place." She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her own voice, but she couldn't help the shaded retort.  
  
Edward looked amused. "Why is it that your type always seem to offer some sort of semi-witty comment to a gracious host? You will remember that it was you that infiltrated my operation, came into my offices. Quite uninvited, and rather rude is most circles, Ms. Dark." Joanna rolled her eyes but did not speak again.  
  
At her silence, Edward smiled that charismatic, cosmetically enhanced smile. "Well, Ms. Dark, though my unending generosity, I have decided to keep you here as a bargaining chip. No harm will come to you, of course. I just.have a few things that I would like from your friend Daniel Carrington. I believe my business transactions will go much more smoothly with him if you're here." Edward waited a moment, as if expecting something, his pause just enough before the door to Joanna's "room" was forced open. As two men brought a third into the room, McTabbert grinned again. "And your own partner in crime, too." The screen darkened, leaving Joanna with the image of the older man's face looking down upon her smugly. She turned to the two guards as they relieved themselves of their burden.looking angered, frustrated, and surprised.  
  
Unconscious, on the floor next to her, was Jonathan.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think? Please feel free to review it all you want! The more reviews I get, the more quickly I will post additional chapters. Feedback lets me know that people out there would enjoy reading more! 


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